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Money Train
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
After the success of Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes in "White Men Can't Jump", the idea came to pair them up again in a major action thriller that was supposed to be one of 1995's big pictures. There's really no secret to why the previous picture works and this one didn't. "White Men Can't Jump" contained an excellent, smart, funny screenplay with great characters. "Money Train" contains a dismal screenplay full of weak dialogue, and characters that are paper-thin.
The film stars Snipes and Harrelson as foster brothers John and Charlie. The two have an almost constant sibling rivalry, and are always taunting each other with insults that sound like ones that were left out of "White Men Can't Jump"'s basketball court sequences. The two brothers are transit cops in New York City, and occasionally come up with "disguises" to catch thiefs. They're eventually paired up with a partner named Grace(Jennifer Lopez) and the rivalry wakes up again to win her.
I use the work "wakes" becauses literally, the film almost goes to sleep in between sudden bursts of action. Director Joseph Ruben may have been able to make what I consider one of the best dramas of the past few years with 1998's "Return To Paradise", but that simply illustrates how lost he seems to be here helming a big-budget action picture. Snipes and Harrelson seem willing to go as far as they can with what they have, but the characters are so thinly written (and Harrelson's so unsympathetic) that it's a loss.
The film almost becomes unintentionally silly at times, most apparent in Robert Blake's hilariously over-the-top character, who cares about nothing but his "money train". The character actually says to Harrelson's, "You're a wreck looking for some place to happen." Of course, Harrelson's character begins to get the idea that they could hijack the train, which collects the transit fares from all of the stations. Of course, in a film this odd, they even talk loudly about their plans in public.
All in all, it's a just a badly written flick. Not a bad idea for a movie, but the final product is a flop.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Money Train" is presented in a beautiful 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer from Tristar. Although the subway scenes certainly aren't too great looking (as few subways are), there are plenty of great shots of New York City that are captured well by the cinematography of John Lindley ("Pleasantville", "Field Of Dreams").
Sharpness is excellent throughout, and images have both fine detail and a good amount of depth to them. Nicely rendered and never lacking in clarity, both day and night sequences are both excellent looking. Colors are great as well - bold, well-saturated and never showing any problems at all.
There's a few minor speckles once or twice, but all in all this is a beautiful looking image that presents the film well. It's a big, technically nice-looking picture, even if the story itself is weak. A nice job from Tristar.
SOUND: The usual snappy Mark Mancina ("Speed 2") score livens up the film's audio greatly, but there is certainly more brought to the table during the film's action sequences. The arguement can be made that there's not enough action in the film, but even during the dialogue-driven sequences, there is some subtle surround useage that keeps the viewer slightly invested(well, about as invested as one can be in this picture).
Of course, any film that has "train" in the title certainly has a number of trains flying by, and that's definitely the case here, as trains go either across the front or through, towards the audience. Surrounds capture some of the smaller sounds and echoes in the subway station scenes as well.
This is a good soundtrack; it's no "Armageddon", but it does a capable job handling the action sequences when the film does finally decide to wake up. The score sounds dynamic and solid, and dialogue is clear and easily understood. Not an outstanding soundtrack, but entertaining during the action sequences.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus with film-themed images and easy navigation.
EXTRAS: Trailers for "Money Train" and "The People Vs. Larry Flynt."
Final Thoughts: Technically nice disc for a lackluster film. Not recommended.
After the success of Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes in "White Men Can't Jump", the idea came to pair them up again in a major action thriller that was supposed to be one of 1995's big pictures. There's really no secret to why the previous picture works and this one didn't. "White Men Can't Jump" contained an excellent, smart, funny screenplay with great characters. "Money Train" contains a dismal screenplay full of weak dialogue, and characters that are paper-thin.
The film stars Snipes and Harrelson as foster brothers John and Charlie. The two have an almost constant sibling rivalry, and are always taunting each other with insults that sound like ones that were left out of "White Men Can't Jump"'s basketball court sequences. The two brothers are transit cops in New York City, and occasionally come up with "disguises" to catch thiefs. They're eventually paired up with a partner named Grace(Jennifer Lopez) and the rivalry wakes up again to win her.
I use the work "wakes" becauses literally, the film almost goes to sleep in between sudden bursts of action. Director Joseph Ruben may have been able to make what I consider one of the best dramas of the past few years with 1998's "Return To Paradise", but that simply illustrates how lost he seems to be here helming a big-budget action picture. Snipes and Harrelson seem willing to go as far as they can with what they have, but the characters are so thinly written (and Harrelson's so unsympathetic) that it's a loss.
The film almost becomes unintentionally silly at times, most apparent in Robert Blake's hilariously over-the-top character, who cares about nothing but his "money train". The character actually says to Harrelson's, "You're a wreck looking for some place to happen." Of course, Harrelson's character begins to get the idea that they could hijack the train, which collects the transit fares from all of the stations. Of course, in a film this odd, they even talk loudly about their plans in public.
All in all, it's a just a badly written flick. Not a bad idea for a movie, but the final product is a flop.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Money Train" is presented in a beautiful 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer from Tristar. Although the subway scenes certainly aren't too great looking (as few subways are), there are plenty of great shots of New York City that are captured well by the cinematography of John Lindley ("Pleasantville", "Field Of Dreams").
Sharpness is excellent throughout, and images have both fine detail and a good amount of depth to them. Nicely rendered and never lacking in clarity, both day and night sequences are both excellent looking. Colors are great as well - bold, well-saturated and never showing any problems at all.
There's a few minor speckles once or twice, but all in all this is a beautiful looking image that presents the film well. It's a big, technically nice-looking picture, even if the story itself is weak. A nice job from Tristar.
SOUND: The usual snappy Mark Mancina ("Speed 2") score livens up the film's audio greatly, but there is certainly more brought to the table during the film's action sequences. The arguement can be made that there's not enough action in the film, but even during the dialogue-driven sequences, there is some subtle surround useage that keeps the viewer slightly invested(well, about as invested as one can be in this picture).
Of course, any film that has "train" in the title certainly has a number of trains flying by, and that's definitely the case here, as trains go either across the front or through, towards the audience. Surrounds capture some of the smaller sounds and echoes in the subway station scenes as well.
This is a good soundtrack; it's no "Armageddon", but it does a capable job handling the action sequences when the film does finally decide to wake up. The score sounds dynamic and solid, and dialogue is clear and easily understood. Not an outstanding soundtrack, but entertaining during the action sequences.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus with film-themed images and easy navigation.
EXTRAS: Trailers for "Money Train" and "The People Vs. Larry Flynt."
Final Thoughts: Technically nice disc for a lackluster film. Not recommended.
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